Magic is the color of the things you wear

Blurred short December days. Tune Farm bread baking. Goats arriving. New housemates. Pecan packing. Field plowing. Seventy degrees in December then back to twenty. Fence building. Christmas in Birmingham surrounded by food, dancing & lovely folks. Richard Bratuigan reading. Truck repairs at the Dojo thanks to Creighton, Scotty & Matt. Long walks. Zoned out yoga sessions with Merrliee & loud music. Continual plan making and remaking and starting over and beginning. 

Alabama I really like you.

Winter Solstice: times of danger and opportunity; times for special alertness and aliveness

Happy Winter Solstice everyone. I'm solo in the kitchen at Tune Farm while everyone runs errands before the weather takes a possible drastic turn. We rescheduled our celebration for this evening until next week due to possible tornado's in the area but I am still cooking up a storm for a cozy night in.

I'm fond of this quote I found today while reading up on ceremony and the history of the day- "Throughout history, celebrating the solstice has been a way to renew our connection with each other and with the numinous through acts of goodwill, special rituals, and heightened awareness."

There are numerous pecan trees that produce SO MANY NUTS surrounding the house at Tune Farm and I've spent time collecting many pounds of them while here (keep an eye on the mail Milwaukee friends.) There are also two medlar trees out front of the house that Lindsay harvested from last week. A new fruit to me I learned you let the fruit mature on the bush (a process called bletting) before you eat it. It tastes like fall, almost a pre-made appleish butter type paste. If your into weird edible plants read more about the really amazing history of the medlar in this article I found here.

During my many walks around the property I have found feathers, turtle shells, Lindsay and Benford found one last persimmon fruit they shook down from a tree we all got to taste. My time here is the perfect lead up to this winter solstice. Tonight we set our intentions for the year to come, hopefully not from the basement with tornado's outside.....

Wishing my amazing mom a very happy birthday! Love from Alabama to Washington xoxo 

Alabama: now is yesterday's tomorrow

In addition to spending time out at Tune Farm this month I have been exploring Alabama as much as possible. I've been here a few times before so there have been some return visits to some favorite spots as well as new discoveries.

Some highlights have included visiting Florence and seeing the behind the scenes of the Billy Reid studio, the powerful Prehistoric Mound oddly nestled in-between industrial factories, getting a chocolate malt at Trowbridge's Ice Cream Shop, seeing the circus train blaze past while driving on Old Hwy 31, being invited to the 9th annual ladies dinner in Birmingham with an amazing meal cooked by Pop Up Kitchen Birmingham, spending time with the lovely Merrliee Challiss, revisiting Ava Maria Grotto, watching the full moon rise + having a bonfire in the yard and preparing for Saturday's Solstice Ceremony.

 

 flyer design by Merrliee Challis 

Tune Farm: the perfect place at the perfect time

This is the first of a series of posts of images from my month in December on my residency at Tune Farm. This place has a long history that I am still wrapping my brain around but is known for being the first certified organic farm in Alabama. Positioned on 262 acres of amazing land in Morgan County so I will only scrape the surface while here during my residency but I think you will start to get the idea of the magic that is here.

Yesterday I harvested pecans in a t-shirt in the sun, watched the full moon rise followed by a bonfire in the yard. Working on being in the moment. When we find ourselves in the perfect place at the perfect time.

 

Diane Morrow Tune

A nice shot of resident farmers Benford, Pete & Lindsay of Harvest Roots, who have opened up their home to me this month. More soon if the rural internet allows.....